The Canadian Rockies
“Some mountains may be higher and others more remote, but I have yet to see a place on earth where everything comes together the way it does here in the Canadian Rockies” - Paul Ziska
The Canadian Rockies had been on my mind last year and the Rocky Mountaineer has been a dream for a long time but as it sometimes happens with dreams, last year the dream never materialized.
I am so glad that I was finally able to realize part of my dream. The Rocky Mountaineer still remains a dream, but I did travel from Calgary to Vancouver via Banff and the Rocky Mountains.
With a small group of thirteen people who bonded over the 7 days that it took for us to travel together, it was a fun trip. The weather treated us to some rain, some sun and everything in between and wildlife was missing in action, but it was still an outstanding experience.
Thank you Tina Djuretic for being such a wonderful host and ambassador. From the morning jokes to the many daily treats and your stories the trip was unforgettable.
We left Calgary in the throes of preparing for the Calgary Stampede around the corner even as we took a walk and drive through some of the highlights fo the city.
It drizzled on and off during the day as we drove but as we pulled into Canmore just outside the Banff National Park, the sun broke out for a bit to give us a wonderful view of the three sisters. Individually these peaks are known as Faith, Charity and Hope or sometimes also referred to as Big Sister, Middle Sister and Little Sister.
Sometimes things come about because of happenstance. Looking for restrooms, we stopped at this brooding government building which had once been a mental asylum which had public restrooms and spectacular gardens.
We drove around the impressive Fairmont Hotel in Banff to stop to admire the Bow Falls on the Bow River. The rest of the group was scheduled to go rafting on the river. Despite assurances that riding the river was a relaxing experience and not like riding rapids, I refrained from this activity.
The next morning, we had an early start to make our scheduled time for the Gondola that takes you up three thousand feet above the town of Banff for a view of the spectacular peaks that ring Banff.
Despite the place being full of people and more arrived all the time, there was a hushed reverence as you stepped out on the viewing terraces to gaze upon the splendor.
I of course forgot it was Saturday morning and a one-hour time difference and had the urge to share the splendor with one of my sons who was not a happy camper to be woken up by a video call from his wandering mother.
By now the day was shaping up to be bright and beautiful as we headed to Cascade Pond which was full of people enjoying the day. Smoke from the Barbeques scented the air as we toasted the day and the trip with Cabot Trail a maple cream liqueur.
And so, we made the circuit with a photo stop at Two Jack Lake and heard the story of Jack which I’ve somewhat forgotten to be honest but when I looked up why it was called Two Jack, I learned that it was named after two different people named Jack but not the significance of why they deserved the lake to be named after them.
One of the things that impressed me about this lake was how the color changed from deep to lighter emerald depending on how the sun hit the water.
Our last stop in this lake circuit was Lake Minnewanka which means “Lake of Spirits” in the First Nations Language of the local tribe in the area. This lake powers the town of Banff.
After spending a delightful two days exploring Banff National Park we set off across the Rocky Mountains towards Lake Louise and Emerald Lake. As we pulled out of Banff the Rocky Mountaineer was leaving the station and we got to see the train cross in front of us.
It is only rightful that we talk about the Canadian Railroad and how it brought British Columbia close to the rest of Canada. We learned about the challenges of laying train tracks on the steep slopes of the Rocky Mountains and how some of these challenges were conquered by constructing spiral tunnels to slow the speed of the trains and prevent accidents.
As we stopped at the viewpoint, we were fortunate to watch a long goods train snake its way through the tunnels.
The beautiful Lake Louse. Despite the misting rain when we arrived, the beauty of the lake was undiminished. With the beautiful clear green water and snowcapped mountains, it reminded me of a pilgrimage that I had made as a teen with my father to a place call Hemkunt Sahib.
As these memories were flooding my mind, I saw this lady wrapped up in a shawl which was draped over her head to keep her hair dry who looked so much like my deceased aunt that I had to stop and take a picture. Unfortunately, everyone was rushing, and I never got to chat and find out more about the family or to get contact information.
It was in the moment, and it enriched my overall experience of being here in this beautiful place.
Castle Peak and Eisenhower Green. Apparently, President Eisenhower was to visit Banff and the Canadian government decided to name this mountain peak that looked like a castle in his honor. They got a band and banners and prepared to felicitate the president, but he never showed up.
He was too busy golfing at the Fairmont hotel. So, the mountain peak was named Castle Peak and a small green spot in front of the mountain was name Eisenhower Green as a proper dig at the man.
Again, despite the rain the Emerald Lake was gorgeous. Probably one of the most beautiful lakes out of all the beautiful lakes that we got to see.
The Natural Bridge over the Kicking Horse River. The river has been carving out the riverbed and thanks to the rain over the past week the river was in full spate.
Next to the Natural Bridge is a commemoration of the Otter Camp internment site where Germans, Austrians, Hungarians and Turks were herded here. Many of these people are responsible for building the superb highways that span the mountains in this area.
The Golden Sky Bridge, a two-mile loop that crosses two of these swaying bridges. The rain decided to come down pretty hard and of course fog was drifting along so I went up to the first bridge and stepped on it and then opted out.
Instead, I got a nice cup of coffee to warm up and waited for the folks who made the hike to return. The journey continues but we’ll pause and rest here for now.